


A christmas baby

by Signe_chan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-18
Updated: 2011-12-18
Packaged: 2017-10-27 12:23:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/295825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Signe_chan/pseuds/Signe_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is very pregnant in the run up to christmas. Christmas exchange gift for singlemomsummer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A christmas baby

Christmas was Harry’s favourite time of the year, which went without saying. Nothing was going to spoil the holidays for him, another thing that should have gone without saying. In the years since the Battle of Hogwarts he’d established a great little routine involving Christmas dinner at the burrow, a long party with all his friends and he really didn’t see why this year should be any different.

Of course, other people disagreed. When he’d asked Hermione if they were still having a party this Christmas she’d looked at him like he was insane then pointedly looked at his bump.

“Aren’t you...well...aren’t you due over Christmas?” she’d asked, raising an eyebrow. Harry had shrugged, dismissing her concerns because, really, what were the odds of him giving birth ON Christmas day. He was actually due the week before so by then he and Draco should have a baby and he’d be totally good to go for Christmas.

When baby hadn’t decided to show up on his due date the mid-witch had made reassuring sounds and told him that it was perfectly normal for a first pregnancy to run a little late. He’d gone home and complained at Draco about worthless birth date estimates and how this had better not ruin Christmas and Draco had complained that he was meant to be the drama queen in the relationship and Harry should stop trying to steal the title.

Still, Draco seemed more tense as the pregnancy went on. Harry knew he was looking forward to Christmas too, it would be their first after all. This time last year they’d still been vaguely antagonistic acquaintances until a bad day at work of epic proportions had lead to them stumbling home together which had, in due course, lead not only to the realisation that they might not hate each other as much as advertised but also to the current situation in general, something about which they’d both been secretly thrilled.

They’d managed to integrate their family Christmas plans so there would be Christmas breakfast at the manner followed by lunch at the burrow which Draco agreed to after only a surprisingly short amount of arguing and the Christmas party, to be hosted by Ron and Hermione this year. It suited them both, so long as baby cooperated.

~*~*~*~

Harry woke up with a pain below his stomach, a strange kind of ache. He reached down absently, rubbing at it, then rolled over and climbed out of bed. He’d given up on any attempt at grace a long time ago and now simply got himself around the best he could, Draco would just have to cope with it if he got woken up. Of course, Draco just rolled back over, muttering something and burying his head in the pillow. Harry sighed and went to the bathroom, taking a slash and then setting to brushing his teeth.

As he was rinsing he noticed something running down his legs and looked down with a frown, piss, dribbling down his legs and onto the floor. He sighed, grabbing a towel and swiping at himself ineffectually. He really wasn’t going to miss this, the piss and how it felt like he had no damn control over his body any more. In general, he quite liked being pregnant, and he certainly liked that he was going to be a...parent...but the way the baby was pressing on his bladder could fuck right off.

With a sigh he readjusted his robe (gaping at the front over his belly but soft and incredibly warm and comfy). He got two steps out of the bathroom before he felt the trickle down his leg again, and it only then occurred to him then that it didn’t feel like it was coming from where he expected it to.

He reached cautiously round his belly to confirm it, and felt a grin start. It wasn’t piss, that much was sure, and there was the pain, so this was probably it.

Almost definitely it.

He stumbled back to the bathroom and parked himself on the toilet seat until the water stopped, concentrating on the pains. He thought he could feel waves of them now, a bit like cramp, then releasing, but not too bad. Still, definitely a good sign.

He started to grin, running his hand over his belly. It was Christmas eve, they might manage it yet.

“Hey kid,” he whispered, rubbing the bump. “You finally ready to come out? Let’s get this over with quickly so we can still have a Christmas, ok?”

He was sure he felt a little press back in response and grinned. If he could get this over with by the evening, well, he’d be able to have his Christmas after all.

Finally, convinced his waters were done breaking, he wiped himself down again and headed back to the bedroom. Draco was still where Harry had left him, curled up on his side with the duvet up to his chin. With a grin Harry grabbed the duvet and pulled it off him.

“Wake up,” he said, triumphant. “My waters have broken.”

Draco blinked at him blearily, then set up. Harry lowered himself on to the side of the bed. It always took Draco a minute or so to achieve any kind of coherence in the morning. He normally spent that time looking blearily at his alarm clock as if he was offended that it had woken him up. Today he was looking at Harry that way.

“Your what?” he asked eventually, scratching at his head. Harry laughed, he couldn’t help it.

“My waters have broken, the baby’s coming.”

“You’re sure?” Draco asked, looking more coherent by the second.

“Well, yes,” Harry said with a sign. “It was pretty easy to work out, all things considered. Easier then ‘hey, this boy has a vagina, maybe I should ask if he normally has this before I stick my cock in’ anyway.”

“Oh shut up,” Draco moaned, flopping back down. “I was too drunk to see straight, aren’t you ever going to let it go? Besides, I’m not the one who didn’t even notice he’d been cursed to have a sodding vagina. Don’t know what idiot thought that up as something to throw around in battle anyway.”

“Well, they weren’t exactly mentally stable,” Harry said with a shrug, shifting as the pain intensified for a second, it was definitely starting to settle into a pattern now, waves. It didn’t feel that bad yet still, but he knew from the horror stories everyone seemed to want to share with him that it was definitely going to get worse before it got better.

“Right,” Draco said, stretching and apparently ending that old argument. It has lost its bite a long time ago as an actual argument and was mostly just teasing now anyway. “Want to go to the hospital?”

“Not yet,” Harry replied with a sigh. “It’s not that bad yet, and it’s going to be hours. If I’m going to sit around in pain I’d rather do it here then there.”

“I think the point of going there is they give you pain relief potions,” Draco said, standing and stretching. “Still, if you’re ok for a while do you mind if I take a shower.”

“That’s fine,” Harry said, flopping back on the bed again. “I’ll shout you if anything changes.”

Draco shrugged, then leant in for a quick kiss before heading out of the room, letting the door bang shut behind him. Harry sighed, rubbing his hand absently over his stomach. There was a bag already packed waiting at the end of the bed, so that was done at least. He knew he should get up and owl people, but it was so much easier to just lie there. He hadn’t had a proper sleep in a while with the baby moving and he was already exhausted.

He ran his hand absently over his bump. He wasn’t afraid of labour, even after the horror stories. Sure, when he’d worked out he was pregnant (and that pregnant was a thing he could be) he’d freaked out so bad about the entire idea, but really he knew pain. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to more pain but he knew he could endure it and...a family...

All he’d wanted in so long, a family.

“You still lounging around,” Draco said as he slammed back into the living room. Harry sighed and ran a hang through his hair.

“If you can call it that, I think I’m going to need all the rest I can for this. I hope it’s a quick labour.”

“Who knows,” Draco said with a shrug. “Just let me owl mother to let her know what’s happening and then we should get you to the hospital. Need some help getting dressed?”

“Nah,” Harry said with a shrug. “Owl Molly while you’re at it, she’ll kill me if I don’t keep her up to date...though in fact she’ll probably kill you for not keeping her up to date.”

“Probably,” Draco agreed with a sigh. The ongoing insistence in certain circles that Draco was entirely to blame for this situation was starting to get a bit wearing on both of them. Harry watched as Draco dressed, then when he left the room Harry pushed himself upright again, managing to regain his feet and making his way to the wardrobe in the happy knowledge that it would be a good long while, if ever, before he had to get dressed while pregnant again.

~*~*~*~

Four hours after arriving in the hospital, a healer finally appeared with a mild pain relief potion. Draco glared at him but Harry just smiled, accepting all the help he could get. The stuff tasted foul but the cramps eased a little so he really wasn’t complaining.

“I still don’t see why you can’t have the strong stuff,” Draco commented, running a hand up and down Harry’s back. Harry smiled at the motion, recognising it as both an offer of comfort and Draco trying to hide his nerves. “Apparently mother was so out of things on the stuff when I was born she didn’t even realise I was a boy for days.”

“Yeah,” Harry said, shifting position again. “Well, in case you didn’t notice, I’m not your mother. I WANT to remember this.”

“Don’t see why,” Draco replied, “Seems almost barbarian, getting all worked up and shoving a baby out of yourself, positively primeval. I don’t see why you can’t just let medical wizardry do it’s job.”

“Well, when you’re pregnant you can do that,” Harry said, though his laughter at the way Draco’s nose turned up at that thought was cut short by another contraction making him feel like he’d been punched in the gut. He drew a breath and held it, almost on instinct, though he knew the mid-witch would shout at him for it. It had always worked on him for pain before, though it didn’t seem to be doing a lot now.

“Hey,” Draco said, squeezing his shoulder. “Even breaths, remember.”

“I remember,” Harry gasped, releasing the breath. “I just...I’m fine...”

“You should probably do what the mid-witch tells you,” Draco counselled, “She’s delivered more babies then you after all.”

The contraction passed and Harry let himself breath again, drawing the short quick breaths the mid-witch had been so set against in his breathing classes. Draco’s hand tightened in worry and Harry shook his head in a way he hoped was reassuring.

“Stop panicking,” he said, trying to slow his breath down. “I’m not dying. Since when do you think I should be doing what the mid-witch says anyway? She agreed with me about the pain killers.”

“Well, she’s not always right,” Draco conceded. “I just...it’s meant to help with the pain is all, isn’t it? I don’t exactly want you to be in pain.”

“It’s not that bad,” Harry said with a shrug. “I’ll feel better when they find me a room and I’m not doing this on the corridor.”

“It’ll be soon now,” Draco reassured, and it was oddly reassuring that Harry knew that Draco had no more idea when a room would become available then he did. “Want to walk again for a bit.”

“Not really,” Harry said with an awkward shrug. The exercise did help with the pains but he was feeling tired already and he wanted to conserve his energy for the really bad pains later. “I thought it would be quicker then this. You know, from TV and stuff.”

“I’ve told you not to trust that muggle thing,” Draco said, scathingly. “Besides, it’d feel like it was over quicker if you took the strong pain killers.”

“Just shut up,” Harry ground out, wishing his contractions were closer together so he could get this over with.

~*~*~*~

It was 4 pm, seven hours after they’d arrived at the hospital, when they were finally found a room. Almost as soon as they were settled they were invaded. While they’d been in the corridors, near to the nurses in case of emergency, the family had been kept away because of space issues but now there was plenty of space for them.

Of course, Harry was mid-contraction when they descended. They’d finally got up to five minutes apart, which the mid-witch had told him was promising, though she still refused to put a time estimate on the birth.

All he wanted was to be out in time for Christmas day.

The sight of Molly bustling through the door was somehow immensely reliving, not only to himself but to Draco, who’s death grip on his arm loosened slightly. He knew it was beyond Draco’s capacity to admit he liked the woman, but in the last few months when Narcissa had been worse than useless when it came to advice and reassurance Molly had come through for them, and it wasn’t like she didn’t have the experience.

“Harry, dear, how are you?” she asked, ignoring the fact that Harry was too busy gritting his teeth to answer and bustling around the room.

“He’s doing ok,” Draco answered, his tone uncertain. “I mean, I think he it. The mid-witch said he was...”

“I’m sure he’s doing fine,” Molly said, sitting down in a chair and watching Harry as the contraction passed. He’d finally admitted defeat and was trying the breathing, though he wasn’t very good at the breaths, he kept losing track and it was hard to focus with Molly bustling around.

“Hi, Molly,” he finally managed, unclenching a little. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good that they finally let me up,” Molly said, “I’ve been waiting for hours. I don’t know what hospitals around about these days, not even letting us up here to see you. Hermione and Ron are about, they’d just gone for coffee when we were told we could come up and Draco, your mother was here for a while but she asked them to owl her when we needed her.”

“Probably best she’s not here,” Draco said with a dismissive shrug. “She doesn’t do well seeing other people in paint. Not since...well, we’ll be fine without her.”

“I’m sure we will,” Molly said. “How far apart are your contractions, dear?”

“About five minutes,” Harry reported, leaning back against Draco who was sat behind him on the bed, propping him up. “It’s been about eight hours already...”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Molly said, “I was 31 hours with Bill, they get easier the more you have.”

“I really don’t want to think about having more right now, or 31 hours of this,” Harry said, tensing again.

“Are you sure you don’t want the stronger pain killers?” Draco asked, rubbing a hand up his back.

“Draco, if you offer again I’m going to stab you. Now come on and help me up, walking’s about the only thing that’s helping at the moment.”

~*~*~*~

Hermione swung into the room about thirty minutes later, her calm efficiency a counter point to Molly’s warmth and anecdotes. She promptly told Harry his breathing was all wrong and told Draco off for letting him breath like that. Draco became horribly offended not only at the idea that he was now responsible for breathing for Harry but also that she seemed to think he was intentionally letting Harry not breath right to hurt him.

In the end Harry had to shout at them to shut them up, as Molly had stepped out to use the bathroom and Ron was just standing in the door looking uncomfortable.

Hermione turned on him then, trying to make him focus on his breathing, but it was bloody hard when it felt like someone had grabbed a handful of his insides and was squeezing. At least the effort of trying to breath to Hermione’s schedule distracted him from the pain for a while.

~*~*~*~

The mid-witch stopped in again at 9 pm, by which point Harry was almost ready to give up and take the stronger pain killers, if only so Draco would stop looking so bloody upset by the whole thing. Even Hermione’s enthusiasm for proper breathing techniques had run out and she and Ron had left in search of food that wasn’t quite as disgusting as what he’d been bought. Molly had declared they had a while left yet and nipped home to check on Arthur and see if there was anything else she could do for tomorrow. Narcissa had stopped in but stayed only long enough to advise Harry to take the stronger pain killers.

So, when the mid-witch strolled in, chart in hand, the only ones there were Harry and Draco. Harry was perched on the edge of the bed, eyes closed, trying to keep his breath rhythmic so he could carry it through the contractions easier, Draco was leaning against his side, matching his breathing to Harry’s like Hermione had told him too as it might help Harry keep the rhythm.

She made Harry lie down and took a good long look between his legs, and that was something Harry hadn’t thought about before, just how many people were going to be poking around between his legs. In the muggle movies there were always carefully draped sheets and things, now his two best friends and his surrogate mother had both seen his junk.

“You’re coming on well,” the mid-witch said finally. “About 6cm, so half way. How are the contractions.”

“Still only 4 minutes apart,” Harry grumbled. He’d been expecting them more frequently by now but it seemed his body had other plans. “Aren’t we nearly done yet?”

“Afraid not,” the woman said, standing. “You’re well into the worst contractions now thought, if you’re lucky we’ll deliver by midnight...”

“I don’t seem to be lucky so far,” Harry said, but he could already feel the next contraction beginning to build so stopped arguing, focusing on his breathing and getting through the pain and letting the rest of the world wash over him.

~*~*~*~

When Hermione and Ron got back through brought some cards for exploding snap, though it took forever to play a game with Harry having to stop every time a contraction hit. He felt as though every part of his body was aching and soon gave it up as a bad lot, leaning on Draco instead and letting the other man lead him around the room, the exercise helping to ease the pain.

Molly came back to sit with them, bringing her knitting, and Harry was starting to feel a bit like a circus freak, that people were here to watch him and not really helping.

The mid-witch started checking in more frequently, and he did appreciate her efficient manner, but he couldn’t help worrying, this was taking so damn long.

He lost track of time as the cramps got worse, longer apart again but each cramp was longer and some of them, just when he thought they were fading, would suddenly get more intense again.

The mid-witch stopped wandering out, and finally he started to feel the need to push. It was the most intense pain he’d ever felt, like being torn apart, much worse than dying which had, after all, been relatively quick and painless.

Then the baby was out, people were applauding for him as though he’d done some feat of skill instead of pushing a baby that shouldn’t exist out of the vagina he shouldn’t have had. He was finally allowed to collapse back on the bed, the baby bundled into his arms, as the mid-witch performed some spells to remove the placenta without further contractions, and he could have kissed the women then as he didn’t think he could have stood more contractions.

He blinked down then at his son, who someone had placed in his arms. He seemed small, very small to have caused so much pain, and he was kind of wrinkled and ugly, but somehow perfect too, and Harry finally felt like all this was worth it.

~*~*~*~

Harry woke up slowly, the kind of waking up he associated with the need to wake up though his body wasn’t ready for it. He was usually quick to wake so the slow climb to consciousness only confused him more.

He blinked a few times, the room was quite dark. That was good, maybe it wasn’t morning yet? Maybe there was still time for Christmas?

As soon as the thought entered his head he sat up, remembering where he was and what had happened, and there was the baby, next to the bed in a cot, fast asleep. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. The baby was so tiny, so fragile, he reached out as thought to touch it and then stopped himself.

“Hey,” he whispered, “It’s good to finally meet you.”

“Don’t wake him up,” Harry jumped, then looked around to find Draco standing in the doorway. “I only just got him settled. Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” Harry mumbled, reaching for Draco again. The other man stepped into the room and took his hand, then gave him a long soft kiss. Harry smiled into it, it felt like love, and that wasn’t something he’d ever thought he’d say about Draco Malfoy.

“Is everything good?” Harry asked, tentatively. “I remember holding him and the afterbirth but then...”

“Yeah,” Draco replied, sitting at Harry’s side, voice low and intimate. “When the afterbirth was clear you, well, you kind of blacked out and your...bits...reverted.”

“Makes sense,” Harry agreed. “I blacked out when they grew in the first place. What time is it?”

“Eight pm,” Draco said, “It was 2:39 when you had him, you’ve been out since then but you seemed stable so we let you sleep.”

“We’ve missed Christmas?” Harry asked, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice, and Draco laughed. Harry pouted at that, he’d been looking forward to Christmas for months and it wasn’t fair that Draco laughed at him. Draco rolled his eyes, then leant over and kissed him.

“I wouldn’t worry,” Draco said when he pulled back, “The Weasley mother said something about having another Christmas dinner next week just for you and I’m sure mother will be more then happy to have Christmas again so she can celebrate in a way that involves no blood, newborn screaming or seeing you without the proper amount of clothing. “

“That does sound better,” Harry said, leaning over to rest his head on Draco’s shoulder. “You haven’t named him while I was out, have you?”

“As tempting as it was, no. But I’m still vetoing any dead people names.”

“I don’t see why,” Harry murmured, “You’re family is so full of tradition and family names it’s ridiculous.”

“I know,” Draco said with a small shrug. “Though I am including the Malfoy dead people names in the veto. I think, well, it’s probably a good time for a fresh start right about now.”

“I like that,” Harry said, smiling. “Something new. We don’t have to decide right now, do we?”

“No,” Draco said, stroking his back. “We have a few weeks to official name him. The Weasley mother was calling him Sidney earlier, as long as we cut it off before that sticks.”

“There are worse names,” Harry said with a shrug. “Though I suppose he needs all the help he can get. Being born on Christmas and all, he isn’t going to thank us for that.”

“No, he really won’t,” Draco said with a laugh. “Next time we get drunk and I accidentally knock you up we’ll have to do it in the autumn and have a summer baby.”

“I am seriously never doing that again,” Harry replied, though he turned so he could look at the baby, pausing a second to watch his chest rise and fall in his sleep. “Are we going to manage this?”

“Of course we are,” Draco said, confident. “People manage this all the time, don’t see why we shouldn’t.”

“You’re right,” Harry agreed. “Merry Christmas anyway, let’s hope we don’t have any more that are quite this eventful.”

“Merry Christmas to you too,” Draco replied, and kissed him like he meant it.


End file.
